Yusaku was surprised to find the door opening to be less of an ordeal than he had expected. No loud sounds or sudden movements, just a slow, smooth slide into the left side of the wall. Yusaku hadn't really known what to expect when he had been suddenly taken from a room he had spent most of his life in. The dueling test? Sure, that wasn't out of the realm of his thoughts. A seemingly large room with equipment to house up to eight people? Unfortunately, he could not say that had been one of them.

Gingerly, Yusaku wrapped his hand around the door frame to peer inside the area and peeked his head around the wall. Not seeing any danger, Yusaku stepped past the arch way. He tried to gather information about everything he could see as he continued farther into this unknown space. There were eight beds; a few of them had matching wooden boxes at the feet. Two doors opposite of the one Yusaku had just entered, and a medium sized table with six matching chairs to his left. There was something gray just barely peeking over one of the far beds. Yusaku cautiously stepped forward to investigate.

Each step made a small smack that reverberated as he finally got close enough to see - a person?!

A loud 'clomp' echoed as Yusaku took a step backwards. His pulse seemed to jump in an erratic unknown rhythm against his wishes. The person was hunched over in such a way that there were only two things visible. Feathered, spiky white and blue hair tucked into a baggy, gray jacket; and a black pair of shoes poked out from under the trim of said jacket. An aura of aggravation and desolation spilled off the character. Yusaku wondered about the merit of walking away and pretending he hadn't seen him.

That plan was thoroughly burned to a crisp when startling dull, blue eyes looked up. Yusaku honestly hadn't realized they even came in that colour. None of the people had seen so far even came close. Jin had a type of deep gray, and the people who had brought him here all had dim variations of any colour he had expected. He had honestly been surprised his own green was so bright and unusual when he had gazed at the people who worked in the lab.

Yusaku hadn't realized he'd been staring right into the new boys eyes right up until the point in which a snapped "What?!" made him flinch.

"S-sorry." He wished dearly that he could've had more confidence like he normally did in that moment, but he just wasn't used to seeing someone right in front of him yet. Nervous and unsure but unable to stop the questions that flooded his mind. "Are you like me?" Yusaku couldn't see a watch, but he also couldn't see the boy's hands either. He half wanted to beg that this person in front of him knew how much pain and sorrow filled this place, but the other half of him wouldn't wish his fate on anybody. When Kogami turned away and Yusaku couldn't stand the thought of pressing his demands on him any long. Yusaku turned away in retreat, only jerked to a stop as a hand gripped his arm.

Yusaku couldn't deal with that, he'd been electrocuted and touched by people who had hurt him for years all day. So it was really no question why his voice spilled out before any thought went into the matter.

"Stop! Let go! Let go!" Words hitched and a strange tingle of warmth had already spread against his skin. He tried to jerk his arm away. Why did people keep insisting on doing whatever they wanted with him today?!

"Calm down, you're freaked out over nothing." The boy's voice was authoritative and had annoyance tied to every letter. Yusaku had wanted to point out how much of his own annoyance had been reserved for the stranger in that moment because this wouldn't really be classified as 'nothing' to Yusaku. However, he refused to show any weakness to the person in front of him and tried to sill his trembling nonetheless. With the grip the boy was using, it wouldn't have been like Yusaku could have escaped anyway. Yusaku watched as the mystery kid seemed to inspect the watch for some time until he finally spoke up. "You're subject 16?" Only to finish the sentence in a quieter voice, "How unlucky." Yusaku would agree that he hadn't really ever felt lucky, beyond not starving to death in this place, but what was that supposed to mean?

"Can you let go now?" Yusaku's voice was poisoned with anger and hidden fright. Blue eyes lightened of grief once more meet Yusaku's green. The grip was released with a snort as the boy spoke, "You might just last." The words burned of a buried meaning as he paused. A look of final contemplation swept across his face. "Kogami Ryoken," and before anything more could be said, Kogami had already walked away.

"What? What does that even mean?" A door farther along from their encounter was used as a barricade before Kogami even bothered to answer. Confused and exhausted, Yusaku shook his head. He didn't know how to deal with everything that had happened today, and the unsettling words hadn't helped him much. Yusaku wanted to give in and rest, but he couldn't relax knowing that Kogami could come back any moment. He forced his feet to drag him to the door Kogami had disappeared into and tried to open it. Nothing happened and he couldn't locate a knob, so he gave up and allowed himself to sit down on a bed far away from the two parallel doors. And if he found himself lying down, well, he could have swore he had told himself it would only be for a minute.

xxx

Yusaku was woken up to an itch that seemed to settle deep in his bones; a tumultuous stomach and a grogginess that fogged everything apparently fought to see which could disrupt him the most. Upon movement he clearly decided the loss of balance and muscles cramps won over any of the other competitors. Unfortunately for him the itch wasn't one he could scratch, rather the type that would worm itself into your soul if not dealt with once discovered. After much deliberation Yusaku found himself vertical enough to handle the matter. A quick scan told Yusaku that his enigmatic roommate had made himself known again. The boy unabashedly continued to stare even after being sighted. Yusaku was about to seriously question the other boy's methods when said teen beat him to it.

"Finally awake, huh? You ready for the big reveal now then?" His face said apathetic, but his voice screamed of muddled countless emotions. Yusaku's heart felt trampled on. They had not been kind to each other, more confrontational than anything, but they both knew pain and that was enough for Yusaku to at least try to be amiable with him. Regardless that the boy seemed to have absolutely no concept of personal space! Something nagged at his mind as he contemplated what he had been told.

"Reveal?" Yusaku wasn't sure what could said, but he was willing to place some serious bets that it wouldn't be pleasant.

The smirk Kogami gave in return was a strange mix between 'I know more than you', and 'I wish I didn't have to say anything'. "Unfortunately, I'm supposed to give you the rundown of the third segment of the project."

Yusaku felt his gut and anger swell up where he hadn't felt it in so long. Rooted within all the times he had anguished about losing a loving family, and lamented about the bland white that covered his precious memories. "You work with them then? Those scientists?"

The fury that appeared on Kogami's face was disconcerting to Yusaku. He knew nowhere that he could hide if Kogami decided that he hadn't liked the way Yusaku had chosen his words. He tensed, prepared to defend himself if it came to that when his worries are banished. That he was disgusted and disturbed at the notion was written all over Kogami's face, but it was only so reassuring to Yusaku who was now uncomfortable.

"Those bastards? No way. I just got the lucky part of playing messenger boy, so listen up sixteen." Kogami could have been trying to just move on from his anger, but his voice was condescending.

"Sixteen? I'm only fif-" a sound of recognition. "my subject number? My name's Yusaku, don't use that." Yusaku couldn't help that his own tone had been defensive in reaction.

The laugh that expelled from Kogami's lips was startling and irritating all at once. Under different circumstances it would have been so airy and wonderful instead. A real laugh that would reverberate in his ears and wouldn't be meant to shame him in any way. Yusaku was stunned that he wanted to hear more of it; Ghost had never laughed, and Yusaku so rarely felt the urge to do so himself.

The scowl that replaced it after a moment, left him perplexed. Kogami seemed to have a very wide range of emotions that he felt? It occurred to Yusaku that maybe all those years of Isolation growing up had stunned his ability to replicate that. He knew scared, knew angry and sad. Sometimes even happy or pleased but the quick emotional shifting was enough to give him some backlash.

"If you stick around maybe I'll start calling you that, but for now you're subject sixteen. Anyway, I need to give you the run down before they get annoyed. Listen up because it's long and I'm only obligated to give it once." Kogami leaned back on his arms and shot Yusaku a look that clearly asked for no disturbances on threats of death. A nod was given before Kogami spoke again.

"You're not the first and we won't be the last to be kept in this room. They just collected number 11 about two days ago, but I'm guessing he will be back. There are three doors in here, one that you came through, though everyone first comes through there. The one on the left over there," He pointed to the room Yusaku had unsuccessfully investigated before. "That's the duel room. Only things in there are goggles that can't leave the room. It will only open if there are two people waiting to go in. The door on the right is the bathroom, it doesn't lock so you need to knock."

It was pretty basic and Yusaku was thankful for the help but it wasn't what he wanted to talk about. Yusaku was inhaling in preparation of speech when Kogami shot him a glare - he wasn't finished.

"Last thing is these." Kogami had risen his arm and had displayed his own watch bearing the number twenty-one. His face had morphed into an unsatisfied look, bordering on disgust. "These will shock you, without holding back. They don't give a damn if we die now, they like to say only the best will get pass this stage."

Yusaku really wanted to know, but also didn't want to ask. How many? How many do you know about? His words must been written all over his face because Kogami was speaking before he had to.

"Five. The only one left is subject eleven that I told you about."

Excitement and sorrow flooded him. "Eleven? Jin Kusunagi? He was here?" Yusaku kinda wanted to laugh all of a sudden too, because what kind of emotion was Kogami's face suppose to convey looking like that?

"I guess? Anyway now that you know, you can leave me alone." Kogami looked upset all over again and had allowed himself to fall to his back. Yusaku wanted to keep talking, he finally had the chance to look at another person and speak to them. But all Kogami was interested in was getting his 'chore' done with.

"Why did you have to tell me?"

The irritation was displayed so clearly that Yusaku unconsciously shifted back. Kogami simply raised his wrist and displayed his watch. "Electric, remember?" Yusaku was about to ask anything else he could think of when Kogami rolled over to ignore him. Grieving his loss of opportunity, Yusaku simply lay down and let his thoughts wander to what happened to Kusanagi.

The next four days had been awkward, strange and a pitfall of tiptoeing around Kogami and wishing the boy was more friendly. The cherry on top had been Kogami ignoring Yusaku's very existence after his explanation. That's why, come the fifth day it was like dropping a proverbial bomb when Kogami walked up to a resting Yusaku and asked to look at his watch again. As Yusaku opened his eyes he wanted to point out that Kogami himself had ignored every attempt he had made to talk, but he wasn't feeling up to it. All of the upheaval and following exclusion had left him feeling depressed.

"...Okay, just don't touch me." Yusaku watched Kogami carefully as he brought his arm up for inspection.

Kogami's face gave nothing away as he brought to fingers to the watch carefully and shifted it in different ways. It would have been obvious to Yusaku if he had the energy to notice, Kogami was respecting Yusaku's request with focused diligence. "You and that kid, huh?"

Yusaku had pretty much come to the conclusion that he would never understand his fellow prisoner if he continued to speak without context. He felt confident that if presented with a duel he wouldn't have any issues contriving a winning strategy. However, ask him to try and have a conversation with another human and he would be left fumbling to read between the lines. He couldn't help but feel annoyed, no matter how little Kogami seemed to be trying to attack him, his words invariably struck something.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He dragged his arm back against his chest and frowned.

Kogami retracted his fingers and looked at Yusaku. "You and that Jin kid both have an aversion to touch."

"Not like I have had a lot practice recently." And okay, Yusaku hadn't meant to snarl that quite so much, he was just frustrated. Nobody touched him; there was nobody around to even do so for most of his life. It couldn't be his fault if he hated the foreign feeling, and if what Kogami had said was true, Kusanagi likely felt the same.

Kogami backed away and waved a hand over his retreating back. "Whatever, not my problem." Yusaku sighed and rubbed his thumb along the watch edge. Finally, Kogami had spoken to him and he chased him away. And as Yusaku paused to think about it, maybe Kogami had a point. The should probably work at that whole 'people' thing.

xxx

Yusaku was forced to admit after days of combing through memories for the link to a familiar sensation that had settled over him upon his arrival, to no avail - left him in a foul mood. As a matter of fact, Yusaku was begrudgingly able to admit that just about everything was starting to irritate him.

Especially because Kogami was ignoring him, breathing too loud, moving in his sleep, generally being another human being in his space. They never even talked, which was part of the problem. He almost felt obligated to cringe at himself for such superfluous reasoning but he could tell himself that it was justified. Thrust into a situation that forced him to suddenly always be with another person would make anyone want some privacy.

In contradiction, if Yusaku had so much as even made an attempt to start a conversation he was glared at and Kogami usually left for the bathroom. But it wasn't even the type of glare that stank of hatred, just the type that screamed discomfort with the situation. Yusaku thought he could at least have dealt with Kogami hating him, but that didn't seem to be the case.

To make matters worse it was coming to his attention that almost everything he had tried to hold onto in his memories had turned out to have been replaced with splotchy, white holes instead. Which in turn circled back around to his awful mood.

It seemed like he was certainly doomed.

He came out of the bathroom, showered and trying to settle his aggravation when Kogami finally decided to talk to him. "Seems like you haven't gotten shocked or lost you mind yet. So, Sixteen, what did you say your name was?"

Yusaku was pissed. For days he had made an effort to talk with the other teen and he just expected him to want to chat now? The usually calm and collected Yusaku felt anger curl around him before he could stop it. "What? You're bored and now I'm worth talking too? Screw off, bathroom is free."

Kogami raised an eyebrow and Yusaku didn't get what his deal was when he actually smirked. "Touch a nerve did I? Let's make a deal then, we duel and if you lose your going to spill your name and drop the attitude you seemed to have picked up. Like it or not we are stuck together until they get bored of this project."

Angry and just a little delighted to destroy Kogami in a duel, Yusaku laughed. "Sure, we'll duel and then you can stop being such a jerk for no reason. Saying we are the only ones each other have right now and being an asshole don't really mix."

What was that expression that Ghost had once used? Like being hit by a bus? Yusaku couldn't verify it, but he'd go with it being like an ace monster making a direct attack on the first turn. Impossible, overwhelming and painful all at once.

Yusaku realized he was so unsettled because he hadn't dueled in days.

He had thought he didn't care about dueling, even hated it. Dueling was something that while interesting, wasn't something he had devoted himself to as a child. Dueling after he came to the project was sometimes even painful and so rarely pleasant. It had been forced onto him, with battles for survival happening everyday…so why? Why did he feel like something has been gouged out of his chest?

He didn't get the chance to figure it out because Kogami was looking at him funny, waiting at the dueling door. Yusaku numbed every issue on hand as he walked over to Kogami. He had a duel to win.

Yusaku followed Kogami into the at first glance practically bleached room. Kogami veered off to a wall lined with cubes with numbers on them, but Yusaku's eyes followed the string of numbers that lined each corner of the room instead. When Yusaku finally swiveled to meet Kogami he was startled momentarily. Large numbers were staring right at him and Kogami appeared invested inside the compartments that lined the walls. It was the first cube in the line but something was wrong with the two of the twenty-one written on it. Yusaku would almost say it looked like someone had come in later and messily scribbled it.

He realized that the numbers probably corresponded to their subject numbers. Taking a step backwards allowed Yusaku to see a twenty at the end of the line up. He tucked away the information that Kogami's box hadn't originally existed. Kogami's voice drifted over to him as he contemplated what the situation meant. He looked over and watched the boy slide a machine onto his arm.

"These are marked with our numbers," Kogami inclined his head farther where the other compartments were. "Just place your bracelet against the number and the door will unlock." Yusaku nodded and turned away to find his own when Kogami turned back to his cubicle. He raised his own watch as Kogami explained and tapped it to the prominently placed sixteen. A low toned click went off and the door popped open. Yusaku had to step back to allow space for the hatchway to expose its treasures.

What lay inside Yusaku would indeed later describe as treasures, but for now he would be excited to have something of his own again. An almost matching machine to the one Kogami had pulled on and a crisp, printed, touchable deck. Yusaku had played duel monsters almost every day of his life and hadn't held a card in nine years. Hadn't even seen cards he could physically hold expect for the few memories he had of having a duel with a childhood friends whose faces he no longer could recall. As Yusaku carefully cradled them in hand he read the top card's print. 'Decode Talker'; he had a new deck that apparently had been saved for him.

"You ready yet? Not going back on your word, right?" Kogami was behind him, expression repressed excitement and neutral boredom.

Yusaku smirked, "Wouldn't dream of it." Yusaku looked back and grabbed his own machine, rotating it in hand to inspect. "You put the cards in here right? Place them here and discard here right?" Kogami nodded and turned to walk away seeing that Yusaku wouldn't have any issues using the duel disk. Yusaku hurried to attach the disk and settle across from his opponent. Yusaku quickly, but carefully read each card as he loaded his desk for the first time. It may have been the first time with his new deck, but a smirk adorned his face. He had a great feeling that he could beat Kogami. Glances were exchanged and he felt the words spring forth instinctively, and was pleased to hear them in turn.

"Duel!"

Wonderful, exciting, worthy of repeating. These were all feelings Yusaku would admit having to nobody but himself. Dueling Kogami had been amazing. Every step of the way the two had pushed each other and it had felt good. Yusaku firmly settled on keeping a blank face and looked over to gauge Kogami's own expression. A mixture of annoyed and pleased for only a second, until it turned into a smirk, a look of expectancy within his eyes.

"It's Yusaku, not sixteen." Kogami just laughed and went to put away his gear. Yusaku didn't expect to ever hear the crude nickname again.

xxx

Yusaku was bored, more so now that he had no books and no duels scheduled. A lack of entertaining stimuli led him to keep an eye on Kogami, who seemed invested in his watch again.

"Hey Kogami?"

"What?"

"Why did you suddenly decide to talk with me yesterday?" Kogami looked over his shoulder briefly before he continued his work, a debate on whether to tell the teen the truth hidden in his frown. When Yusaku seemed to have given up, Kogami finally spoke.

"You lasted for a week, so I figured you wouldn't do something stupid to get yourself killed now." Yusaku dragged himself up from the bed, surprised that Kogami was willing sharing information.

"That's what all that was all about? You thought I might disappear so you didn't want to talk with me?" Kogami dropped his arm down and leaned back in the support of the chair he had claimed.

"You just don't get it. I told you, you're not the first one to come here, look around." A dimness not so unfamiliar settled in Kogami's eyes. "Yusaku," his pitch turned wispy, like he was somewhere else but the small room the two shared. "I watched them all die or leave one after another. I had no proof you wouldn't end up the same way. So yeah, I didn't bother to learn your name until now." He blankly gazed at the lights overhead. "I'm not even sure subject eleven will come back."

His name died on Yusuku's tongue as he watched the boy slowly come back to himself. Yusaku looked down at his fingers, rubbing a small patch of sheet warm. A thoughtfulness pulled at him as his body slouched. "You said Jin was taken. Do you think they are testing him?"

Kogami's sharpened features looked up at that. He stood and turned to face the other boy. "You know about that? You were already tested before you came here?" His now brightened eyes watched closely, as if looking for something he had missed before. Yusaku's own face clouded in confusion as he leaned forward to drop his own feet to the ground.

"Yeah…you mean the others weren't? It was awful but not something…" Words melted as Yusaku felt phantom sensations of the pain he had felt about a week ago. He couldn't be sure of that. The continuous shocks had left him in pretty bad condition so maybe others wouldn't have been able to handle that? Had they lain on the same floor he had gasping for their last breaths? Coldness flushed through his body, those people- He tried to drag his mind away from that darkness. "Could you tell me about Jin? About subject eleven?"

Kogami took the chance to also redirect his own spiraling thoughts. He would have time to mull over them later. His body relaxed and leaned against the table to his back. "Why are you so interested in eleven? You know him or something?"

Yusaku nodded in conformation before he spoke, "Yeah, he was the only one I got to see a picture of when we dueled for weeks at a time." Yusaku thought back the picture he had lost when he was taken from his room.

"Well, there are three reasons you should-" Kogami's voice locked up and the grimace on his face told everything. Regret at his habit, and annoyance at himself for letting it slip.

Not a sound reached Yusaku. The world seemed to tilt and a sudden pounding in his ears replaced everything.

The word was sharp and pained when it slipped out of Yusaku.

"What?" There was echoed sound produced from feet hitting the floor in the tense lull. Kogami did not bother trying to cover his words, only standing in reaction to Yusaku's sudden movements. Tone dull and dark as his eyes flashed, "It was you?"

Kogami's face darkened as he raised himself in defense to the sudden aggression.

Before either knew it they were on the floor and scuffling.

Yusaku's fist stung as he threw a punch at Kogami's guard.

Kogami's knee landed in an unprotected side.

The bang of the chair toppling.

"I trusted you!"

"It's not my fault. Don't act like a child!"

"A child?! I haven't been one in years!"

There were copper patches littered over the floor and swollen bruises on pale skin.

A heavy weight as Kogami pushed everything he could into holding Yusaku down.

Balance shifting as the two rolled over.

A groan slipped from a pair of cut lips.

"You gave me hope and crushed it!"

"I gave you a rescue and paid the price for it!"

Kogami threw Yusaku off himself and wiped red knuckles against a swollen cheek as he stood.

Yusaku cradled his left elbow and rose to his full height as he watched with anger in his face.

Kogami's back slammed into the wall as the two traded hits.

Yusaku fell into a bed's foot when Kogami's knee met his thigh.

A screech of the bed shifting against the cool floor.

Kogami leaned against the wall in support before he slid down with a pained hiss.

Kogami glared and braced an right arm against his chest to cup his left shoulder.

"Why do you think I'm in here instead of free? You think I want this?"

Yusaku winced as his side flared up with pain.

"Then why? Why did rescue never come?"

Steady tears intermingled with the blood from his busted lip.

There was a groan as Kogami grit his teeth and tried to push his shoulder back into place. "They found out. I don't know how they did, but I was taken and thrown into this room for years." The broken exhale of Kogami's breath giving away his pain. "Damn, you don't hold back."

"They trapped you in here?" Yusaku watched as Kogami ran his working hands fingers along rapidly swollen flesh peaking out of his shirt collar. "Do you…"

"Just get over here and help, if you don't want any of those creeps in here." Kogami still looked angry as he surveyed matching mottled skin. Yusaku nodded, grit his teeth, and forced himself to ignore his banged up side as he crawled over. Kogami watched without delight at the less than coordinated movements. "I'm going to regret this. Look you need to shift it like this okay?"

Yusaku nodded as he raised his own pained body into position. "Ready?"

"Just do it."

There was a pained grunt and a popping sound as Yusaku let go and leaned against the smooth surface of the blank wall. His voice was low and understanding. "I'm sorry…"

Kogami glanced at the hurt teen and grunted, "Save it. I was just tired of hearing the screams."

Yusaku's laugh was sad but true. "Yeah, I'm sure you were." His breath was painful as the two mutually agreed to rest in the aftermath of their fight. Just this once, because he thought he understood the pain Kogami would have been in, Yusaku decided to forgive him - but only to himself.

What he didn't know was that something had been planted. An overgrown resentment formed all those years ago shriveled. And in its place, buried far beneath, a small understanding from loneliness and uncertainty that had bred within him for years germinated. It would be a long road until the two would understand each other but every blossom began as a seed.